Billy McFarland’s early prison release… TV news… Selena Gomez at the White House… Lance Bass deletes TikTok video… and Amber Heard’s sister testifies

Listen to “Showbiz – May 19, 2022” on Spreaker.

Billy McFarland was sentenced to six years to prison for the Fyre Festival fraud. But yesterday, Billy walked out of prison and into a halfway house where he’s expected to live until he’s released in August. That’s two years early. Billy was convicted of defrauding investors out of $26M, admitting in court that he lied to investors trying to get the money to make the festival happen. His attorney told NBC News that once Billy is a free man, he plans to “put together a team of good people for a solid plan to make amends and pay” what he owes to everyone he defrauded.

Fyre Festival Founder Billy McFarland Gets Early Prison Release https://t.co/GIVc9sI8ol
— Variety (@Variety) May 18, 2022

In TV News….It was December of 2099 when we were introduced to this odd cast of characters with names like Snookie and The Situation who moved into a house together, got drunk a lot and let it all be recorded for a show called “Jersey Shore.” And now, almost 13 years later, MTV has announced “Jersey Shore 2.0”! We’re getting an all-new cast of characters who will also get drunk to amuse us. In the press release, MTV said, “It’s been 13 years since the iconic cast of Jersey Shore fist-pumped their way into our lives and stole our hearts. Now, the time-honored tradition continues with a new group of roommates moving into their own Shore house. They may have traded their poofs for plumped pouts and UV rays for spray tans, but when things heat up in Jersey, the Shore is still the place to be to make memories all summer long.”

‘Jersey Shore 2.0’ introduces a new crew to the GTL life. But don’t worry, the O.G. ‘Jersey’ crew will have another ‘Family Reunion’. Plus, ‘All Star Shore’…and something called ‘Buckhead Shore’? https://t.co/GQieGs6NoG
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) May 18, 2022

Selena Gomez spoke at the White House yesterday at the Mental Health Youth Action Forum, hosted by MTV Entertainment. Selena has been very vocal about their mental health struggles, and in 2020 she revealed she’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her speech, Selena said, “Bringing attention to mental health through media or just by talking about your journeys can help. It sets the example that it’s a topic that can and should be discussed freely and without shame.” Selena said that she hopes sharing her story will “help others feel less alone and find the help they need.”

Selena Gomez has teamed up with President Biden and his administration to put a spotlight on mental health … with the help of youth who are also speaking up on the issue. https://t.co/ZH2O6KhnOa
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 18, 2022

Like everyone else, Lance Bass wants to go viral on TikTok. That’s not always a good thing. After the one week break in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, Lance posted, “In honor of the trial starting back up…Had to do it.” He then reenacted the part of Amber’s testimony where she talks about Johnny allegedly hitting her and she ended up sitting on a dirty carpet. Lance wasn’t the only person on TikTok recreating that testimony, but he was the most famous, and he got slammed for his very poor judgment in doing so. A lot of people took issue with Lance mocking abuse. One asked, “Making fun of violence? That’s funny to you?” Another commented, “These folks really are determined to dissuade victims from ever coming forward again.”

Lance Bass acts out Amber Heard’s testimony on TikTok https://t.co/ivi0GNQmbC pic.twitter.com/1VB9FO11Jq
— Page Six (@PageSix) May 17, 2022

We are now six weeks into Johnny Depp’s defamation trail against Amber Heard. Yesterday, we heard from some of Amber’s former closest friends, her makeup artist and acting coach who all pretty much testified to the same thing. They heard screaming, witnessed bad behavior, saw trashed rooms, and noticed puffiness and marks on Amber’s face. However, none of them ever witnessed Johnny actually assault Amber. The only person who testified to witnessing physical abuse was Amber’s sister, Whitney Henriquez. She testified that Amber woke her up in the middle of the night, yelling that Johnny had cheated on her. Whitney said after some back and forth arguing, Johnny rushed up the stairs and hits her in the back. That’s when Amber landed a punch on Johnny’s face. She testified that Johnny grabbed Amber by the hair with one hand and hit her repeatedly with the other. The sisters then locked themselves in a bedroom while Johnny banged on the door, calling them awful names and shouting how much he hated them.